Waste Stabilization Ponds

WWT710S
 Introduction
Sewage from simplified and settled sewerage
should be treated before being discharge into
surface water courses or prior to re use for either
aquaculture or irrigation of crops
The sewage can be disposed into a
conventional sewage network
Waste Stabilization ponds
These are large shallow basins enclosed by
earthen embankments
Sewage is treated by natural process involving
algae and bacteria
Rate of oxidation is slow
Long hydraulic retention times 10-50 days
 Introduction to waste stabilization ponds

Application of ponds
Ponds are applicable where:
The population is too small to justify sophisticated
systems
The land is available and cheap
Climatic conditions are favorable especially temperature
There is seasonal fluctuation of loading such as holiday
resorts
There are financial limitations
There is no skilled labour to operate such systems as
activated sludge systems and trickling filters
At times where there is no energy (electricity)
 Advantages and Disadvantages of ponds
Advantages
Low capital investment
Easy maintenance
Can withstand shock and fluctuating loads
Produce stabilized sludge that is only
removed periodically
Sludge can be used for agriculture
Has a high pathogen removal
Low mechanical equipment
requirements(energy)
Low skills requirement
Reliable especially in tropical areas
Disadvantages
Large area requirements (2-5 m2/person)
High algal content in effluent
Evaporation losses (especially for areas
where reuse is essential)
Odour potential
Mosquito breeding
Sensitivity of algae to toxic waste in
wastewater
 Treatment objectives of waste stabilization
ponds
The main objectives of wastewater
stabilization ponds are:
To remove organic matter
To remove pathogenic organisms
 Arrangement of ponds

Primary Secondary Tertiary

(anaerobic or (Facultative) (Maturation)
aerobic)
inflow Treated
effluent
Single stream system

Primary Secondary Tertiary

inflow (Anaerobic) (Facultative) (Maturation)

Primary Secondary Tertiary Treated

(Anaerobic) (Facultative) (Maturation) effluent

Parallel stream system

 Anaerobic pond
Anaerobic pond are usually the first ponds in a pond
system especially in situations where land is scarce and
expensive.
They are often used as pre-treatment ahead of
facultative ponds.
Anaerobic conditions are attained by having pond depth
to 3-4 (2.5-4) m and high organic loading rate >100g
BOD5 per m3. day.
Detention time is 2-5 days
Minimum annual temperatures of around 15oC.
Proper design should be based on the volumetric loading
rate, the temperature of the liquid and the retention time.
In climates where the temperature exceeds 220C, the
following design criteria should yield a BOD5 removal of
50- 70% or better (Reed et al, 1995);
 Anaerobic Ponds
Treatment process in anaerobic ponds
The microbial population comprises of facultative and
strictly anaerobic microorganisms.
The organic material is degraded by fermentative
pathways i.e into volatile acids, and then converted to
methane as the end products by methanogenic bacteria.
Also methanogenic bacteria reduce carbon dioxide to
methane.
The resulting gaseous end products then escape to the
atmosphere resulting in BOD removal.
As much as 70% of the BOD in the anaerobic pond is
converted to methane gas thus anaerobic pond have
little sludge accumulation
 Anaerobic Pond Design

Design
The basis of design for anaerobic pond is the
volumetric loading rate v in g/m3d, which is defined as
below.
Li Q
v
Va
Where Li is the influent BOD in mg /l (same as g/m3),
Q is flow rate in m3/d and Va is required pond volume in
m 3.
Since anaerobic conditions are highly sensitive to
temperature the required v is selected on the basis of
the mean temperature of the coldest month.
 Anaerobic Pond Design

The Mean hydraulic retention time

Va
a
Q
If a<1 day, a value of 1 day should be used
Da= anaerobic pond working depth (liquid)

Li Q
Aa
v Da
 Anaerobic Pond Design

Recommended volumetric organic loading rates

Mean minimum monthly temperature Volumetric organic load (g BOD5/m3/d)

(oC)
15 150
20 250
25 350
30 400

Other factors to consider in design of anaerobic ponds

Retention time 2 to 5 days
Minimum temperature should be 15oC
 Example
Design an anaerobic pond to treat wastewater
with the following characteristics
Q= 10 000m3/d
Li=300mg/l
T=250C
 Solution
Select v from table =350g/m3day at 25oC
Assume depth of 3 m
Li Q
Aa
v Da
=(300*10 000)/(350*3)
=2860 m2
Mean hydraulic retention time a=Va/Q

Aa Da 2860 3
a
Q 10000
=0,86 day
If a<1 use a minimum retention time of 1 and recalculate Area =
=10 000x(1/3) =3340 m2
 Anaerobic ponds operation
They are disludged when the pond is half full of sludge
usually 2-5 years. As a result a minimum of two
anaerobic ponds are needed
They cause odour problems especially in the morning.
odour control can be by adjusting pH to 7-8 by dosing
lime. They should also be located at least 500 m away
from residences taking into account the prevailing wind
direction.
Often scum develops at the top of the pond because of
biogas generation at the pond bottom. Scum jets using
final effluent are often necessary to break this scum.
However excessive scum jets may disrupt oxygen
balance.
 Facultative Ponds
Facultative ponds are usually 1.0-1.5 m (1.2 m
recommended min) in depth with an aerobic layer
overlying an anaerobic layer often containing sludge
deposits.
The term facultative means both aerobic and anaerobic
conditions prevail.
Typical detention time is 5-30 days.
Commonly facultative ponds follow aerated or anaerobic
ponds. Anaerobic fermentation occurs in the lower layer
anaerobic stabilization occurs in the upper layer.
If a facultative pond receives wastewater without pre
treatment, it is known as primary facultative pond, and
when it receives effluent from an anaerobic pond or
septic tank, secondary facultative pond.
 Facultative Ponds
The influent enters continuously in one end and leaves in
the opposite end
Part of organic matter in suspension tends to settle to
the bottom
The sludge undergoes decomposition by anaerobic
microorganisms and converted to carbon dioxide,
methane and other compounds
The soluble BOD and organic matter in suspension is
decomposed by facultative bacteria (survive in the
presence or absence of bacteria)
Bacteria respire using carbon as a source of energy and
oxygen producing carbon dioxide.
Algae photosynthesize using carbon dioxide and
producing oxygen
 Facultative Ponds
Treatment process in facultative ponds
In essence the stabilization of organic matter (BOD)
depends on the symbiotic relationship between algae
and bacteria.
Because oxygen production is light dependent, the
dissolved oxygen concentration in the pond has a diurnal
variation.
Oxygen is supplied by atmospheric re-aeration and
algae can give up to a maximum of 10g/m2/d. This
therefore means that shallow ponds with large surface
area receive more oxygen through re-aeration than deep
ponds of the same volume.
Oxygen supply through photosynthesis follows the
equation below:
 Facultative Ponds

Although algae plays an important role in

facultative ponds, their presence in the effluent
represents one of the most serious problems in
pond operation as the algae is also carried
downstream with the effluent causing secondary
pollution.
In order to encourage the growth of algae, the
loading to a facultative pond must be controlled
so that oxygen demand of the effluent
wastewater does not exceed the rate at which
oxygen can be supplied by photosynthesis
 Facultative Ponds

New cells
light

algae

O2 CO2, NH 4 + ,PO 4 3-

bacteria

New cells
organic
matter
 Facultative Ponds Design
Design
Reactions are assumed to follow first order kinetics.
It is designed on the basis of surface loading rate
It now more common to adapt an empirical approach based on
the permissible surface loading (s (max) in kg/ha. d)
A number of equations have been developed based on linear
regression analysis of data from -ponds world-wide and one
such general equation is:-

s (max) 20T S
Values of S are in the range 60-120. Arthur, 1983 recommended
an S = 60 thus the equation becomes.
s (max) 20T 60
T is the mean temperature of the coldest month in oC.
 Facultative Ponds Design

Design
Calculation of surface area
The required pond area for given area BOD loading
(calculated as mid depth area AF in m2) is found
from: -
10 L Q
Af
i

Where Q is flow rate in m3 /d, Li is load g/m3

Typical detention time is 5-30 days
 Example
.Design a primary facultative pond if the waste water
flowing has the following characteristics
Q= 10 000m3/d
Li=300mg/l
T=250C

10 Li Q 10 300 10000
Af
s 440

=68 181=6,8 ha
Volume = 68 181x1,2=81818 m3
HRT =81818/10 000
=8,1 days
 Maturation Ponds
The major role of maturation ponds is the removal of
pathogenic organisms such as viruses, bacteria and
helmits.
The size and number maturation ponds is governed by
the required bacteriological quality of the final effluent.
The reduction of pathogens is achieved by providing a
retention time long enough to reduce the number to the
required level
Generally they are designed to give an overall retention
in the system of 25 days.
Maturation ponds are aerobic and have typical depth of
1-1.5m to allow light penetration up to the bottom.
 Maturation Ponds
Treatment processes in maturation ponds
Light induced mortality
pH induced mortality
Starvation induced mortality
Absorption/sedimentation
Dillution/mixing
Predation
 Maturation Ponds
Design
For a series of anaerobic, facultative ponds and
maturation ponds, the equation can be modified to:
Ni
Ne
[1 K bta ][1 K bt f ][1 K btm ]n

When Ne is the number of faecal coliforms in the effluent

per 100 ml; Ni is the number of faecal coliforms in the
effluent per 100 ml and Kb is first-order faecal coli form
removal constant (d-1)
ta , tf, tm are the retention time of the anaerobic
,facultative and maturation ponds in series and n is the
number of maturation ponds required
 Maturation ponds

Design
In anaerobic ponds; a lower rate constant of
approximately (Kb/2) is appropriate
Retention time for each maturation pond should be 5-7
days
Some BOD reduction can also be achieved in maturation
ponds although they are less efficient than facultative
ponds because of the decreased treatability of
wastewater.
 Maturation ponds-important points for
Design
The most common problem in terms of loading control
has been the application of the feed at one point
especially in anaerobic ponds. This has resulted in
localized overloading and odour development
Generally inlet and outlets must be diagonally opposite
to enhance the residence time
The pond must not be subjected to excessive winds as
these may cause short-circuiting and for duckweed pond
may result in pilling of the duckweeds in one end
Outlets must be designed in such a way as to minimise
carryover of algae.
The pond must be long and narrow as compared to short
and wide to avoid short-circuiting
 Maturation ponds-important points for
Design
Embankments must have a slope of 1:3 (vertical :
horizontal) and they must be lined by grass and stone
pitched around the area of the top water level to
minimise erosion by wave action
Ponds must be lined by either well compacted clay or
polythene plastic or concrete to reduce groundwater
pollution
 Example
Design a waste stabilization pond to treat
sewage from a low income settlement of 5000
people. The BOD concentration per person per
day is 40mg and the sewage flow is 80 litres per
person per day. The mean temperature of the
coldest month of the year is 20OC.